Keep calm and make a cup of tea

The view outside our
Crofters Cottage on the Isle of Skye

Oh, oh Big Bertha is broken

Time for a cuppa

Selfie stick in action

Willy's recovery truck

Why is this silly tourist taking photos?

Commando Memorial

In the midst of all this Jane
still found a bargin

Waiting at repair shop

Catching some zzz's on way to Inverness

Our new car, Little Lily

Its time to load up Big Bertha and leave the Isle of Skye. It is so idyllic this morning that we could easily stay here another week. There is just one more discovery to make we have some vague instructions and are taking Big Bertha along some narrow lanes, we both shout at the same time, ‘there it is!’. We have discovered the Skeabost Pict Stone.

Now lets get back on the main road and we are heading for Fort William, off Skye via the bridge, turn onto the A87 and bang. Big Bertha hits a lump and the tyre goes down. Oh oh, luckily there is a spot to quickly get off the road. Hmm, what do we do now? No spare of course in these modern cars, so we ring the breakdown line. The man says he will send a truck to pick us up. A truck for a flat tyre? Sounds like overkill to me. 

Anyhow, we have great views and the weather is perfect. Its time for a cuppa, selfies, wildflower macro photos. Even a deer sneaks up behind and checks out what we are doing, it was very curious about us. Surprisingly the truck turns up before we have exhausted all our angles for photos. Or maybe not so surprising?

Willy is our rescuer, Big Bertha is quickly on the truck and we are heading to Fort William our relationship starts off monosyllabic:

Me: We have just come from the Isle of Skye this morning via Eileen Doran Castle, Scotland is amazingly beautiful.

Willy: Aye

Me: Hasn’t the weather been glorious for the last two weeks?

Willy: Aye

Me: The potholes are big on this road.

Willy: Aye

But once we start bagging the tourists on the side of the road, he takes a liking to us and starts to point out all the sites, share facts and figures and even stops at the Commando Memorial for a photo opportunity.  Along the way, we see 4 other tourists with cars being rescued by the same towing service.

The time flys by and we are in the tyre repair place. Its Friday afternoon and everyone in Fort William must have decided to get their tyres done. So off we go for a bite to eat and come back to find out its not just a flat tyre, the rim is damaged. The car now has to be towed back two hours to Inverness and we need a new car. WHAT. Ok, now I need to channel some calmness not too keen on the two-hour drive back.

Lots of phone calls and tooing and froing and Jim (husband of Elaine who runs Air BnB cottage) has come to the rescue and collected our bags and taken them to accommodation. Now David has arrived to collect us and Big Bertha. We are on the road again and David must know everyone in Fort William as he waves to every truck and most of the cars we pass, Jane and David have a lovely two-hour chat while I get some shut-eye in the back of the truck. 

We wave bye bye to Big Bertha with no regrets and the new car is just the right size, a VW golf. After some debate, she is christened Little Lily. The plan is to stopover halfway back for a break and dinner. Halfway just happens to be one of the towns I wanted to see but was just a bit too far off our path. Funny how things work out. In the long evening twilight, Fort Augustus is looking magical, time for some fish and chips by the canal.

Its 9pm and now we are cosy in our new Air BnB with a cuppa and treats.